Electric railway



(No Model.) R. M. HUNTER.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

Patented June 17,1890.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THETHOMSON-HOUSTON ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,580, dated June 17,1890.

Application filed April 4, 1890. Serial No. 346,587. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvem entin Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to electric railways; and it consists ofcertain improvements, all of which are fully set forth in the followingspecification, and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a partthereof.

The Object of my invention set out in this application (Case 135) is toprovide an electrically-propelled vehicle with a current-collectingdevice carried upon a frame supported upon the axles independently ofthe car-body and adapted to make a traveling connection with a conductorpreferably suspended overhead. The electric motor which is employed topropel the car is also supported upon a frame independently of thecar-body. By this means the vertical movements of the carbody do notaffect either the connection of the motor with the axle'nor the trolleyor current-collecting device with respect to the conductor.

By the employment of my invention the conductor can be suspended at afixed distance with respect to the track, and as the trolley orcurrent-collecting device is supported and moved without variations asto elevation with respect to said track any movement required of thetrolley to follow the variations in the conductor will be but slight ascompared with What has heretofore been the case when the trolleyarranged upon the car was secured to the car-body and caused to rise andfall with every movement of said car-body, as set out in Letters PatentNo. 400,916 and No. 398302, of 1889, granted to me.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of anelectrically-propelled vehicle with part in section, showing myimprovement as applied to an electric railway; and Fig. 2 is aperspective View illustrating my improved current-collecting device andthe frame supporting it.

A is the car-body.

B are the axles, and are journaled in the axle-boxes b in the usual way.

C is a frame, which is secured to the axleboxes, and is therebysupported by the axles independent of the car-body A, which latter isdirectly supported upon the springs D. It is quite evident that theframe C might be secured upon the axles in any other convenient manner,and hence I do not limit my self to its connection with the axle-boxes,as shown.

E is the electric motor, and is shown as sleeved upon the axle B at oneend and supported at the other end by the frame C through an elasticconnection or support F. The motor-shaft is connected with the axle bymeans of gearing. Any other suitable form of motor-connection may beemployed, if desired; but in all cases I prefer to support the motorupon the axles independently of the car-body.

R is a suspended conductor arranged above the vehicle, and T are therails. The suspended conductor may be the positive circuit of therailway, and the rails may be the return-circuit or negative conductors.

Secured upon the cross-bar'G of the frame C are two upright rods ortubes H, preferably extending through the side walls of the car-body andguided in bearings I, one of which may be arranged under the car or atits side and the other on the roof of the car. Upon the tops of theserods or tubes H are journal-bearings J, and supported within thesejournal-bearings J is a transverse rod or rock-shaft K, having upon itscentral portion a casting formed with a vertical or substantiallyvertical journal-bearing N. Pivoted in this vertical journal-bearing Nis the trolley-arm O, which is preferably formed to extend rearwardlyand upwardly, and may contain at its free end any suitable form ofcontactsuch, for instance, as a grooved roller 0r wheel P, adapted tomake an under contact with the suspended conductor R. The lower end ofthe trolley-arm O is bent, as at 0, which construction allows the freeend of the trolley-arm to swing laterally to follow lateral variationsin the conductor, or compensate for lateral swinging movements of thecar-body.

L and M are two springs, of which L is under tension with the trolleyshown in solid lines in Fig. 2. \Vhen the trolley-arm O is conductor.

turned around for the car to run in the opposite direction and assumesthe dotted position, then the spring M is the one which becomes undertension. The rocking of the shaft or rod K causes the free end of thetrolley-arm O to be pressed upward, so as to keep its contact inconnection with the suspended It is quite evident from this constructionthat the car-body may ride freely upon its springs D without in theleast raising or lowering the support for the trolley. This overcomesthe necessity of employing such strong springs to maintain contactbetween the contact device and the conductor.

If desired, the lower part of the upright rods or tubes H may beconnected with the frame C or cross-bar G, through springs h or otherflexible connections, which will permit slight lateral movement of theear-body witl1- out binding upon the bearings I.

The advantage of employing the car-body with bearings I is that itprovides a positive support at the upper end of the rods or tubes 11 andprevents excessive torsional strains upon the said rods H. It isevident, though, that these rods H may be made sufliciently heavy, andmight be supported independent of the car-body and project outside ofthe walls of said car-body; but I prefer the construction shown as beingbest adapted for the purpose.

S is the motor-circuit and leads from the trolley to the motor, andincludes a current regulator or controller T, which extends to theplatform, and may be operated by the man in charge.

I do not limit myself to the details of construction here shown, as theymay be greatly modified without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is v 1. The combination of a car bodysupported upon the axle by means of springs, with a frame supported uponthe axles independent of the caisbody, a suspended con ductor, and atrolley or currentcollecting device carried by the frame independentlyof the car-body and making a traveling connection with the suspendedconductor.

' 2. The combination of a car -body supported upon the axles by means ofsprings, with a frame supported upon the axles independent of thecar-body, a suspended conductor, a trolley or current-collecting devicecarried by the frame independently of the carbody and making a travelingconnection with the suspended conductor, and an electric motor supportedupon the frame independently of the car-body.

i 3. The combination of a suspended conductor, a car having its car-bodysupported upon axles by means of springs, a frame supported upon theaxles independently of the car-body, and an upwardly-extendingcurrent-collecting device carried by said frame v 4. The combination ofa and making a connection with the conductor above the car-body.

suspended conductor, a car having its car-body supported upon the axlesby means of springs, a frame supported upon the axles independently ofthe car-body, upwardly-extending parts extending above the car-body andcarried by said frame, and a current-collecting device carried by saidparts and movable upon a transverse axis for making connection with theconductor.

5. The combination of a suspended conductor, a car having its car-bodysupported upon the axles by means of springs, a frame supported upon theaxles independently of the car-body, upwardly-extending parts ex--tending above the car-body andcarried by said frame, acurrent-collecting device carried by said parts and movable upon atransductor, a car having its car-body supported upon the axles by meansof springs, a frame supported upon the axles independently of thecar-body, upwardly-extending parts extending above the car-body andcarried by said frame, and a current-collecting device carried by saidparts and movable upon a vertical or substantially vertical axis formaking connection, with the conductor.

7. The combination of a suspended conductor, a car having its car-bodysupported upon the axles by means of springs, a frame supported upon theaxles independently of the car-body, upwardly-extending parts extendingabove the car-body and carried by said frame, a current-collectingdevice carried by said parts and movable upon both a transverse andvertical or substantially vertical axis for making connection-with theconductor, and a spring to press said contact against the conductor.

8. The combination of a suspended conductor, a car having its car-bodysupported supported upon the axles independently of the car-body,upwardly-extending parts extending above the car-body and carried bysaid frame, a current-collecting device carried by said parts andmovable upon a transverse axis for making connection with the conductor,a spring to press said contact against the conductor, and an electricmotor to propel said car, supported upon the frame independently of thecar-body and mechanically connected with the axle to rotate it.

10. The combination of a suspended conductor, a car having. its car-bodysupported upon the axles by means of springs, a frame supported upon theaxles independently of the car-body, upwardly-extending parts extendingabove the car-body and carried by said frame, a current-collectingdevice carried by said parts and movable upon a vertical orsubstantially vertical axis for making connection with the conductor,and an electric motor to propel said car, supported upon the frameindependently of the car-body and mechanically connected with the axleto rotate it.

11. The combination of a suspended conductor, a car having its car-bodysupported on springs, a frame supported upon the axles independently ofthe car-body, two upwardly-extending part-s carried by the frame andlocated one on each side of the car-body, a rock-shaft journaled in theupper portions of said parts, and a contact device carried upon saidrock-shaft for making connection with the suspended conductor.

12. The combination of a suspended conductor, a car having its car-bodysupported on springs, a frame supported upon the axles independently ofthe car-body, two upwardlyextending parts carried by the frame andlocated one on each side of the car-body, arockshaft journaled in theupper portions of said parts, springs to rotate said rock-shaft, and acontact device carried upon said rock-shaft for making connection withthe suspended conductor and pivoted on a vertical or substantiallyvertical axis.

13. The combination of a suspended conductor, a car having its ear-bodysupported on springs, a frame supported upon the axles independently ofthe car-body, two upwardlyextending parts carried by the frame andlocated one on each side of the car-body, arockshaft journaled in theupper portions of said parts, a contact device carried upon saidrockshal't for making connection with the suspended conductor, and amotor supported upon said frame independent of the car-body andmechanically connected for rotating the axle.

lat. The combination of a suspended conductor, a car having its car-bodysupported on springs, a frame supported upon the axles independently ofthe car-body, two upwardlyshaft journaled in the upper portions of saidparts, springs to rotate said 1OOk-Sl1&fl3, a contact device carriedupon said rock-shaft for making connection with the suspended conductorand pivoted on a vertical or substantially vertical axis, and a motorsupported upon said frame independently of the carbody and mechanicallyconnected for rotating the axle.

15. The combination of a car body supported on the axles by means ofsprings, a motor-frame carried by the axles independently of the car-body, a frame-work supported upon said motor-frame and extending upward tothe roof of the car, and a current-collecting device carried upon theupper end of said frame-work above the car-body, whereby the car-bodymay move vertically Without raising or lowering the current-collectingdevice.

16. A current-collecting device for an electrically-propelled vehicle,consisting of a rockshaft movable about a transverse axis and providedwith a spring to resist its rotation under the action of thetrolley-arm, and also provided with a vertical or substantially verticaljournal-bearing, and an upwardly and rearwardly extending trolley-armhaving a contact device at its free end and formed at its lower end witha bent or angular journal fitting into the vertical or substantiallyvertical j ournal-bearin g of the rock-shaft.

17. A current-collecting device for an electrically-propelled vehicle,consisting of a rockshaft movable about a transverse axis and providedwith springs to resist its being rotated in either direction except byabnormal pressure, and an upwardly and rearwardly extending trolley-armj ournaled upon said rock-shaft upon a vertical or substantiallyvertical axis, about which it may be rotated.

18. The combination of a carbody supported on the axles throughsprings,a frame carried upon the axles independent of the carbody,upwardlyextending parts extending above the car-body and connected withthe frame by flexible connections, and a contact device or trolleycarried upon the upper end of said parts and located above the roof ofthe car-bod y.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand.

R. M. HUNTER.

\Vitnesses:

ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER, A. J DUNN.

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